Not P but Moby-Dick (48)

[Darah Kehnemuyi]

 I think in the Gregory Peck movie, the line was portrayed as being wrapped around a "post" after the harpoon struck, and then as it was pulled out by the whale, it would begin to smoke from friction.  Some crew poured water on the rope  as it "smoked" to keep it from burning through.  Admittedly, my memory is a little vague here.                                                      
    On Monday, November 27, 2023 at 05:19:21 AM EST, Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 I think the friction would cause the rope to smoke.
Unlikely anyone on the boat would be taking a smoke break, imho.


On Mon, Nov 27, 2023 at 4:04 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> From Chapter 60:
>
> Second: This arrangement is indispensable for common safety’s sake; for
> were the lower end of the line in any way attached to the boat, and were
> the whale then to run the line out to the end almost in a single, smoking
> minute as he sometimes does, he would not stop there, for the doomed boat
> would infallibly be dragged down after him into the profundity of the sea;
> and in that case no town-crier would ever find her again.
>
> Does the "smoking" here have anything at all to do with tobacco smoking?
> The existing translations all went for a Chinese saying that has to do with
> tobacco smoking, which I feel is inappropriate here.
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